4 
Clangula olangula amerioana . 
! Lake Umbagog, Maine. 
[ 
1897. Instant on reaching the mouth of the hole but the greater num- 
June 8. ber toppled out over the edge as soon as they appeared. All 
used their tiny wings freely beating them continuously as they 
descended. They did not seem to strike the water with much 
force. 
While this was going on the old Duck sat motionless on 
the water looking up at the nest. When the last duckling 
dropped at her side she at once swam off at the head of the 
I 
brood quickly disappearing in a flooded thicket a few rods a- 
way. 
In connection with my own observations I should have no- 
bi W 
ted that after the old entered the hole two other female 
Whistlers flew several times over and around me and one of 
them at length alighted on the water swimming up close to the 
stub and looking at it intently as if she too had some inter¬ 
est in it. On several former occasions, moreover, we have 
found from two to four female 'Whistlers hanging about this 
nest and the same thing occurred at the nest on Tidswell's 
point as well as near that at Bottle Brook Pond. These facts 
lead me to believe that two or three birds not infrequently 
lay their eggs in the same nest. We know that Whistlers and 
Mergansers sometimes do this and I see no reason for douoting 
that the Whistlers take the same liberty with one another. 
A 
Probably all sets of over ten or twelve eggs are thus 
